Business Travel Tips

Shop & Collect is a shopping service operating at London Heathrow Airport enabling you to buy before you fly and pick up your purchases on your return. It is a free service, available when you are flying to the EU (including flights within the UK).

Shop & Collect stores your goods securely whilst you are away and insure them. Upon your return to the airport, they will be ready and waiting for you at a convenient collection point, after you have claimed your luggage and cleared customs.

On the Heathrow official website it reads: “To use the service, simply tell the assistant in-store that you would like to Shop & Collect, give them your details and they will take care of the rest for you.”

The service provides a solution for those who are buying fragile or heavy items as well as to get around the current restrictions on carrying liquids on your return flight. Also it lets you take advantage of time-limited special offers.

Beginning July 13 Delta Air Lines will start in-flight Wi-Fi test on its 767-300.

Delta aircraft that have already installed in-flight Wi-Fi include: MD88, B757-200 (on 49 aircraft), MD90 (on 16 aircraft), and B737-800 (only on 1 aircraft).

Delta is also planning to install Wi-Fi on the pre-merger Northwest aircraft soon.

The international passenger traffic is down by 9.3% year-on-year in May according to the scheduled traffic statistics compiled by IATA.

The report also shows that the international freight demand was down by 17.4% with international passenger load factors stood at 71.2%, down from 74.5% recorded in May 2008.

However a relative improvement respect to the data recorded in April 2009 could indicate that a floor may now have been reached. Also May was the first full month to feel the impact of the A H1N1 flu on travel.

- International Passenger traffic by region

Asia Pacific carriers
Demand is down by 14.3%, with capacity adjustments of -9.3%.

North American carriers
10.9% fall in passenger demand (it was a 4.2% fall in April). This was the result of weak demand to Latin American destinations affected by A(H1N1) flu.

European carriers
The network carriers reported a 9.4% fall in demand, however European low cost carriers recorded a traffic grew by 2.1%.

African carriers
6% fall in demand in May (it was 7.1% in April).

Middle Eastern carriers
9.5% growth in demand with a 14.5% expansion of capacity.

Starwood has opened a new Four Points by Sheraton hotel in New York City, the “Four Points by Sheraton Midtown-Times Square“.

Located on 40th Street, in the Broadway theater district, this newly constructed, 244-room hotel is close to some of the city’s finest restaurants, a variety of shops, and corporate offices, including, among others, the New York Times, Condé Nast, Ernst & Young.

Four Points by Sheraton Midtown-Times Square is third Four Points by Sheraton hotel in New York City, the other ones include the Four Points by Sheraton Manhattan SoHo Village and Four Points by Sheraton Manhattan Chelsea.

Beginning Autumn 2009, British Airways will offer a new afternoon tea service in the new First Class cabin.

In order to provide the new service, “Afternoon Tea by The Dorchester“, BA teamed up with The Dorchester, one of London’s most luxurious hotels.

“Afternoon Tea by The Dorchester” service will offer BA First Class customers a large selection of finely cut sandwiches and cakes, served with a variety of teas from around the world.

It will be available on flights to the United States.